Battery Saving Tips

GPS navigation uses battery, especially on a long trip. These tips help your phone last until you’re back at the trailhead.

Tips

1. Airplane mode. Put your phone in airplane mode. This turns off the cellular and Wi‑Fi radios, and GPS still works.
2. Limit GPS usage. Topo Maps+ already uses a power-optimized GPS mode, but constantly requesting location still affects your battery. Turn off location access for other apps that don’t need it. In the Settings app, go to Privacy → Location Services, set apps to Never, and leave on only the few you want using GPS — for example, the Camera (so photos are GPS-tagged) and Topo Maps+.In your phone’s location settings, turn off location access for every app except the few you want using GPS — for example, the Camera (so photos are GPS-tagged) and Topo Maps+.
3. “While Using” permission. For the apps that keep location access, choose While Using instead of always.
4. Don’t record your trip. Use Progress on Trail instead to see your trail data without recording. Or take photos along the way to leave a “breadcrumb” trail you can see with the photo overlay.
5. Limit app usage. Keep other apps closed — the trail is no place for games anyway.
6. Screen brightness. Turn it down as low as you can.
7. Start with 100% battery. Keep your phone plugged in on the drive if you need it to get to the trailhead.
8. Power off at night. If you expect cold temperatures, keep your phone warm in your sleeping bag too.
9. Low power mode. Even at a full charge, you can save power by turning on Low Power Mode in Settings → Batteryyour phone’s battery saver mode.
10. Raise to wake. Stop your screen from turning on every time you lift your phone. In Settings → Display & Brightness, turn off Raise to Wake.Go to Display → Lock Screen and turn off Lift to check phone.

For more ways to stretch your battery on a multi-day trip, read our battery life guide.